What's Your Most Effective Skin Care Product?

The other day while doing my skincare routine I started wondering about how effective skincare products are. Does clear, smooth skin come from good cleansing and/or can skin care products really deliver that too?So today I thought I'd ask the question of what is your most effective skin care product?

This post contains affiliate linksPersonally, my skin is always at it's best when I thoroughly cleanse in the evening. That means going in with a balm cleanser, removing it with a warm flannel and then repeating with a ph-balanced sulphate-free gel cleanser.For years I got this initial step to clear skin totally wrong while thinking I was doing it right! Opting for harsh face washes that would leave my skin tight and shiny and thinking I didn't need to double cleanse because my face looked clean and free of makeup. So, I basically put my now mostly clear skin down to a consistent and correctly executed double cleanse routine. Side note - on the flip side the less is more approach for cleansing in the morning seems to always work well, using a ph-balanced sulphate-free gel cleanser or just water dependant on how oily the skin is looking and feeling.But as for a single most effective skincare product - well that's tricky, isn't it? Because how do you know it's not a collective effort or a handful of products that works for you - right? Well, thankfully for this blog post I do get a little lazy with skincare from time to time and that's when I use minimal products thus being able to see which ones are effective and which don't do much.

BUDGET OPTION

My first most effective skin care product that I've found to give results purely on it's own is a budget one - whoop whoop! This is The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%, a none irritating mattifying cream gel that improves skin texture, blemishes and even skin brightness - all of which I have seen a noticeable and improved difference in when using the acid consistently. One of the main reasons I love to use this product on nearly a daily basis is the mattifying finish it gives, perfect for oily skin and under makeup. So I like to make it my last skincare step and really would say it acts as a mattifying primer and gives the skin a silky feel. However, the best results I've had with this bargain skincare buy is how it has improved my skin texture more than any other product I've tried, really making a difference to my t-zone area that can sometimes look a little bumpy up close due to congestion.This truly is a wonderful non-abrasive acid that improves blemishes and textural issues really very well and will be a staple in my skincare routine for as long as The Ordinary continue to make it!

PREMIUM OPTIONNext is a face mask and actually quite a new product to my routine, but with a face mask when you know, you know, right? Personally, I find face masks can do quite a lot for my skin when it matches my skin type and the Pixi Glow Mud Mask certainly does.With oily/combination skin that's often dehydrated (like most skin!), I always turn to clay-based face masks to sort out blemishes, over oily areas and general congestion. However, it's not often I find a mask that offers these things without drying out the skin. I put this down to the aloe vera in the mask that allows the kaolin and sea salt to work while keeping the skin balanced and from drying out.I feel this also helps the formula! While being a drying clay mask, as many are, this isn't the usual, oh no. Yes, it dries down to a slightly tight feeling but it's minimal and as a result, there's no face mask cracking action if you dare to smile or heavens forbid, laugh. Basically, it's as if Pixi have realised that people with oily skin want the benefits of clay but without the drying factor.I also really like how easy and thinly the mask applies and how it smells. So yes, I love this face mask a lot and how well it transforms the skin straight after using and continuing to do so the next morning, with smoother, brighter skin, as if you have used a potent AHA. As for the price it's normally £18 but Boots are currently giving a saving of £6 making it an affordable £12 for such a lovely mask that does compare to a mini facial.

Passing it back to you, I would love to know your skin type and to hear about the most effective skin care product you have ever used!Fee xo.